Romania’s Senate committee for culture on Tuesday recommended that the plenum reject a bill that would force local radio stations to play Romanian music for 40% of their music playing air time.

The committee voted five to one to reject the bill, which is to be debated by the Senate in plenary.

Social democrat MP Victor Socaciu, a popular folk singer who initiated the bill, said the committee said this bill could work on public media outlets but private radios should not have their editorial content regulated by law.

Businessman Elan Schwartzenberg on Saturday confirmed he has taken over a 92% stake in TV station Realitatea TV owned by Sorin Ovidiu Vintu, who is currently under arrest on charges of blackmail. read more...

Romania’s public television finished 2010 with a 162 million lei deficit about 38.47 million euro according to last year’s activity report. A year before, the institution registered a deficit of 48 million lei. The net business numbers of the public television in 2010 was 531.87 million lei, total revenues amounting to 571 million lei. read more...